updated 06:35 pm EDT, Thu October 7, 2010

Rogers, Ericsson test LTE alongside Bell

Rogers and Bell this week said they were trialling Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks for 4G. The technical trial for Rogers is being conducted in cooperation with Ericsson Canada in Ottawa, the country's capital. The theoretical maximum wireless transfer speeds of LTE are 150Mbps.

Ericsson has been conducting lab testing of LTE at its Ottawa research location, and Rogers will help it take those trials out of the lab. The tests will include both low and high band frequencies and the network's performance will be evaluated in urban, suburban and rural areas, Rogers representatives said. The carrier will also gauge the system on its interoperability with its existing HSPA+ network.

AWS spectrum Rogers acquired in recent auctions will be used for the trial, though Rogers is working with Industry Canada to use the same 700MHz spectrum that AT&T, Verizon and others should use for their LTE networks in the US.

Bell is already testing LTE and says it has trials in Hamilton and Montreal, having completed data tests earlier.

The timing puts Bell and Rogers behind MetroPCS, which is already on its second full access area, as well as Verizon, which launches full service this year. They also fall somewhat behind AT&T, which is already conducting its own trials and hopes to go live in the middle of 2011.